Xerox CFO Leaving to Join Apple

Xerox (XRX) announced Friday that its chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, will leave the company at the end of February to become corporate controller at Apple (AAPL).

The Norwalk-based provider of business support services said it has initiated an external search for a new CFO, with Maestri staying on board through the end of next month to help in the transition period.

"Luca is a stellar finance executive whose contributions have brought great value to the transformation of Xerox into a services enterprise,” said Xerox CEO Ursula Burns.

Burns reaffirmed the company’s fourth-quarter guidance, with non-GAAP earnings in the range of 28 cents to 30 cents a share, bracketing average analyst estimates of 29 cents in a Thomson Reuters poll.

Xerox, which will report fourth-quarter and full-year 2012 earnings on Jan. 24, saw its shares tick up about 1.5% premarket to $7.40.